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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24189523">Fubuki's Dragon</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuroeko/pseuds/kuroeko'>kuroeko</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Inazuma Eleven</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 00:29:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,633</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24189523</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuroeko/pseuds/kuroeko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>“We just call you the water dragon.”<br/>“That’s disgusting. My name is Aphrodi.” </p>
</div>A tale of some dragons, a disgruntled human sacrifice, and some travelers who accidentally stumbled into this entire mess.
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Afuro Terumi | Aphrodi/Fubuki Shirou, Endou Mamoru/Rococo Urupa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. don’t die you’re so sexy ahahahhaa</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I wanted to try my hand at writing and accidentally wrote a decent-sized fic, enjoy!</p>
<p>Huge thank you to <a href="https://twitter.com/squigdraws">squigs</a> for listening to me cry and encouraging my stupid ideas, being my beta, and helping me immensely through this entire process of writing my first fic. Thank you.<br/>Dedicating the Encoco part to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enkidudu/profile">Enkidudu</a> , rarepair comrade in arms. I hope you like it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Torrential rain and wind howled across the sky as Aphrodi gazed at the tributes laid before him. His scaled eyelid blinked slowly as a gentle wind current subconsciously maintained by him whirled over his scales to keep off the rain. Sheep, such tasty little lambs, bushels of grain and baskets of fruit that were upended left and right in front of his least favorite: the human sacrifice. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“I told them to stop that a while ago” he mumbled to himself - although the passage of mortal time was lost to him, as he couldn’t remember if he had complained 10 or 500 years ago. Whichever was the last time he had talked to someone that wasn’t the sacrifice nearby. Shuffling his wings, he hesitated for a moment to stretch them out. He didn’t want the sacrifice screaming like they always did whenever he so much as twitched his tail. Although this time the scent of the sacrifice was different...muskier? He blinked a few more times, then his scaly figure stiffened in surprise- it can’t be! Pushing aside the rain to clear the area with barely a thought, he leapt down from his rocky perch and landed lithely in front of the huddled figure. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“SHOW YOURSELF” Aphrodi boomed as he turned his scaled head so his eye could directly peer down at the sacrifice. The figure stilled for a moment, then lifted their bound hands and pushed up the now-dirty linen cloth to show their face. What greeted him was unexpected: a youthful face with grey-blue short sweeping hair that carefully framed periwinkle eyes with mysterious depth. Aphrodi’s gaze swept up and down, noting the raw marks of struggle on the wrists and ankles.  “This explains why all my favorite fruit was upturned”, he mused to himself. He began to lift a claw forward to check for what he suspected when the sacrifice suddenly spoke with a defiant voice. “Are you going to kill me now?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taken aback, Aphrodi slammed his claw back down and arched back his neck, “NO? Who do you think I am stupid mortal, also you’re a BOY?” Through all these years, he had never been given a MALE sacrifice, what had happened in the village this past year?! The boy remained mulishly silent, but didn’t avert his gaze and instead seemed to glare straight at him. The audacity.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Answer me” grumbled Aphrodi. Even if he didn’t want human sacrifices he had at least liked chatting with the girls that had come once they had loosened up a bit. Males were so annoying, not beautiful, not soft, and also often came to try and kill him to get the girls back - so irritating. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, I’m a boy.” short and curt. Still that level glare directed at him through those eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Name?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“......Fubuki Shirou”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright Fubuki, hold still as the majestic me is going to cut your bonds. And after I cut your bonds I want you to stack up this fruit for me that you kicked over and then head on home alright? I also want you to tell them to stop giving me a human sacrifice and give me more fruit” Aphrodi waved one dangerously sharp claw at the spilled basket next to him. “Now stick out your arms and legs and please don’t move when I cut, I don’t like blood.” Fubuki hesitated, then did as he was told. Aphrodi could feel the distrust emanating from the boy but went ahead anyways. If he lost a finger while flinching it wasn’t his problem. He just really didn’t like the smell of human blood. The ropes fell aside easily as he slit them with the tip of his claw. Leaning back, he folded his scaled arms over one another and flapped his wrist at Fubuki. “Now please get on with it and leave.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fubuki rubbed his wrists then his ankles slowly to presumably work some blood flow back into them, then got up and began piling the fruit back into the woven baskets. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What dirty clothes,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Aphrodi observed as Fubuki quietly moved around in front of him. Usually his sacrifices came dressed in nice white cotton with minimal bruising and scuffling. Pulling out of his reverie, his focus snapped back to the now-neatly stacked piles of fruit. Leaning forward he inspected them and then nodded. “Alright that’s good enough, you can go back now. Tell them to quit it with the human sacrifices and I’ll give them lots of nice rain.” Fubuki nodded and got up, then headed in the exact opposite direction of the village. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey wait!” Aphrodi’s head snaked around to follow the rapidly moving figure as he rustled his wings in confusion. “The village is the other way!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know” Fubuki replied evenly as he began to pick his way up the rock face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then where are you going? Did the village expand while I was asleep?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I’m going anywhere but back to that village. I’ll leave you alone now before you decide you want to kill me”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Please stop making me sound like a bloodthirsty monster, now get back down here you’re going to die trying to get across that valley alone in the winter dressed like that. No get back-!” Aphrodi lunged outwards and grabbed Fubuki as his foot slipped on a loose rock and he fell backwards from the vertical climb. “Now look here I do not condone you going on a suicide mission while I’m watching and technically responsible for you, why won’t you go back to your village?” He closed his claws around Fubuki, essentially trapping him for the time being as he tried to talk sense into this boy with less self preservation than a newly born wolf pup. Fubuki set his mouth in a line that by now Aphrodi understood as “I’m not talking until you shake me a few times up and down.” So Aphrodi shook him up and down. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How inelegant.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a few more shakes Fubuki’s tongue seemed to have loosened up, and his stomach too. “Eugh” said Aphrodi as he summoned some water to not-so-accidentally drench Fubuki and clean off the residue from his claws. He was trying to think of some warm wind spell he knew to dry him off as Fubuki curled up into a shivering fetal position on his palm. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t have family back there anymore. Everyone hates me because I’m the only survivor from the avalanche and I had a twin, they say I’m cursed. That I should’ve died with them.” came his quiet voice. Aphrodi couldn’t see those defiant eyes anymore, couldn’t see what expression was on Fubuki’s face when his whole tiny body suddenly seemed so defeated. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is this why they sent you as the sacrifice this time?” Aphrodi asked softly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They said they’d either kill me themselves or I could make myself useful to the village. I tried to run away but they caught me and brought me here against my will.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aphrodi remained silent as he stared at the lone figure caged inside his claws. The boy couldn’t be much older than the rest that had come here, what did they say they were? 18 years? He seemed young and fit and would mesh into another village well, a village where they didn’t know his past. A village that he often sent the sacrifices to after they had spent some time with him…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I won’t eat you, I won’t kill you, and I’ll leave you be, but until this winter is over you are to stay at my home and keep me company until it’s time for you to leave. I’ll make sure you have a new and safe village to stay at when that time comes. How does that sound?” Aphrodi asked gently as he opened up his hand and lifted Fubuki up until he was at eye level. No reply, had he passed out? “I’ll take that as a yes,” Aphrodi said as he closed up his hand again. With his other free hand he scooped up the tributes then spread his large feathered wings. Beating them swiftly, he pushed off from the frigid ground and launched himself through the cold rain and wind as he headed home to the mountain peaks with an unexpected gift in his hand. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Damn Aphrodi you live like this?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Fubuki woke up with a start and found himself staring up at stormy skies far up above him framed by a rim of jutting gneiss stone that flowed down to form cavern walls. The headache he was experiencing matching the rioting sky up above. He tried to move and immediately grunted with pain as his sore muscles protested. Looking down at his chest, he realized that the warmth he was feeling came from a feathered wing that was draped over him. Turning his head more slowly this time, he searched for the owner of the wing and squinted his eyes at the sudden gentle glow emanating from the figure next to him. Long locks of straight golden hair framed a youthful sleeping face lying cradled in a large birds-nest of varying sizes of soft feathers. The chest of this mysterious figure rose and fell softly as he slept, his wings moving in tandem gently brushing up and down over Fubuki’s chest in turn. Squinting even more, Fubuki couldn’t really make out the gender of this being who was barely taller than Fubuki. </span>
  <em>
    <span>An angel? </span>
  </em>
  <span>He thought back to the illustrations that the traveling worshippers had always carried with them. Maybe he had been saved by one. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Unsure of what to do, and with his head beginning to pound, he tried to crawl his way out from under the wing. In doing so his elbow smacked against the soft feathers and hit the bone structure below. Eyes wide in surprise, he turned around to see that the angel had cracked open one crimson red eye. “Why are you so elbowy” it grumbled, leaving Fubuki open mouthed in shock at the deep timbre. “YOU’RE a male?” Fubuki sputtered out, then winced as his neck muscles tensed in protest at the sudden movement. He found himself forcefully pashed back down into the feathered nest by a now-ruffled wing. “Yes, now go back to sleep, your human body needs to heal, which I presume means sleeping a lot.” The irritated and arrogant tone of voice caused memories from yesterday’s events to resurface in Fubuki’s mind, and he sucked in a breath in shock when he realized what he was lying next to. “You’re the dragon” he hissed angrily as he pushed the wing away from him and sat up as best as he could. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your powers of observation are astounding,” Aphrodi replied with a yawn as he reshuffled his feathers. He sat up and scratched his head, revealing two small horns peeking out from his forehead framing the single long bang that hung down in the middle. A porcelain white dragon tail snaked from behind and the golden busheled tail tip slyly tickled Fubuki’s ankle. Pulling back his ankle from the unwelcome touch, Fubuki sat up straighter and looked around. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>He seemed to be located within a large caldera, the gneiss that jutted up around him was covered by a thick slab of ice framed by ice struts high above. That explained why he could see the storm above through the clear ice, but all the raindrops washed off to disappear along the sides of the mountain. A waterfall tumbled down across from him into a large pool that seemed to perfectly fit a certain arrogant dragon. The rest of the cavern, however, looked like a tornado had gone through it several times. Fruit was stacked haphazardly wherever it seemed to have been dropped, livestock stuck in odd positions were piled in a corner, and what seemed like a miniature hill of priceless tributes and objects had two dragon-sized footprints indented in it. Speechless, he turned around to look at Aphrodi who was gazing at him levelly with a hint of smugness on his face. “Welcome to my home” Aphrodi proclaimed grandly, sweeping his hand out to encompass the mess. “It’s awful” replied Fubuki, as he slumped back down into the feather bed, “can I please leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Why would you insult me like that then ask to leave. Also the only way out is up and I reseal the ice each time to keep pesky things out. Either way, your puny human body can’t fly. ” Aphrodi replied, miffed.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Is this how dragons live? No sense of organization? Just stuff thrown around everywhere?” Fubuki countered, ignoring the growing sense of defeat upon hearing that he really had no way out of this mess.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“It’s how </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> live and that’s what’s important, and why do you give me so much attitude? I should’ve kept you asleep, at least you look cute when you’re not awake” </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Fubuki’s retort was cut short by a loud grumble from his stomach. Blushing, he tried to burrow down into the feather bed to hide his embarrassment but Aphrodi moved faster than he could react and pulled him up. Smiling, Aphrodi flapped his wings and dragged Fubuki over the side of the feather bed where he landed unceremoniously on hard, cold rock. “You can eat whatever you like here, it’s all still quite fresh” Aphrodi explained as he waved his hand vaguely at the food corner. Fubuki’s gaze caught sight of the ribbons tied onto one of the sheep’s legs and he gasped in surprise “Isn’t that sacrifice from last year?” He recognized the embroidery pattern that all the girls had been wearing in their hair. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Yes? I don’t eat THAT much, I always get so much from all the villages so I just freeze them and leave them there until I’m hungry.” Aphrodi replied quizzically. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“OTHER villages?” Fubuki’s shock seemed to be mounting rapidly.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“I cover a wide area with my blessings” Aphrodi offered up a vague explanation. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“You’re…..you’re two timing all these villages for food” Fubuki cut straight to the heart of the matter.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“I am NOT two timing, I bless them all! I control rain and wind for their crops and sailing! I don’t ask for them to come to me.” protested Aphrodi as he reshuffled his wings. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Fubuki was reeling from all of these revelations, but also beginning to grow desperately hungry. “Alright fine I don’t care at the moment,” he said wearily, “where is your cook pit?” </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“My what?”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Cooking pit, a pit with fire in it for cooking meat”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Ohhh you know how to cook?” Aphrodi was gazing at Fubuki with renewed interest now. “I usually just eat them raw, but I like cooked food.”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“.....yes?” Fubuki had had to live on his own somehow, having been shunned by the rest of his village. He felt suspicious at the sudden scrutiny he was under coupled with Aphrodi licking his lips. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Describe to me a fire pit and I’ll make one” Aphrodi replied eagerly, “I haven’t had cooked food in so long, not since that cluster of villages got wiped out in some war. They were the only ones to offer me cooked feasts. I wish that had caught on. None of the other sacrifices ever offered to cook either. They always wanted to just stick with the fruit.” </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“They stuck with the fruit because the meat is sacred, but since I’m already cursed I’ll cook it.” Fubuki sighed as he surveyed the pile of blessed frozen animals, some of which he didn’t even recognize. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <em>
    <span>Isn’t he a few thousand years old?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Fubuki wondered to himself how Aphrodi had never learned how to cook. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe dragons are just weird like that, he could have at least roasted them with fire breath, right? </span>
  </em>
  <span>After explaining the basic components of a cooking pit to Aphrodi, he left the dragon and began grabbing ingredients from the frosted-over piles to prepare. The treasure trove next to the food pile offered up gilded ornamental pots that still served their basic function along with a set of fancy knives inlaid with pearls. Digging around more, he surprised himself by finding a packaged spice set. Sniffing the spices to make sure they hadn’t gone bad, he began preparing a meal while steadfastly ignoring the crashing and grating sounds of rock being moved near him. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Turning around with his ingredients cut and prepped in bowls he had also fished out, Fubuki gazed over at a freshly made fire pit. It honestly looked quite decent, and a pleased Aphrodi had also fetched some illustrated scrolls to use as kindling at the bottom. “Aren’t those priceless?” Fubuki asked nervously as he pointed at them. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Maybe,” replied Aphrodi as he swished his tail in anticipation, “but I want cooked lamb more.” </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Unable to argue against such flawless logic, Fubuki dragged over all his cooking supplies then looked at Aphrodi. “Can you give me a starter fire?”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Aphrodi stared at him in shock, tail crooked and still in the air “What type of dragon do you think I am?”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Well in the stories, don’t many of you breathe fire?” Fubuki replied, puzzled. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“I am. Not. A. Fire. Dragon.” Aphrodi replied crisply, his tail had begun moving in a more agitated manner now. “My specialty is rain and wind, I don’t do fire.” </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Well we’ll need one to start cooking” Fubuki carefully stated the facts while keeping a wary eye on the increasing frequency of tail swishes. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Fine,” Aphrodi stalked off into the treasure pile. Rummaging around, he leaned deep into the pile then pulled out a delicate globe encasing a still burning fire within. “Use this” Without even waiting for a reply, Aphrodi threw the globe at the pit where it promptly shattered on the rocks and caused the scrolls to burst into flame. Fubuki didn’t even know what the globe was, but he felt like it was probably an important magical artefact that had been reduced to a cooking fire. Sighing internally, he pushed the probably priceless pots onto the flaming ruins of illuminated manuscripts and began making mountain lamb stew. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The globe is in fact a truly priceless artefact created by a civilization that had faded away along with the knowledge of how to create it. Entire wars could have broken out over ownership of the artefact, so maybe it was for the best it was used for lamb stew.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. right in front of MY lamb stew?!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Aphrodi was the picture of contentment as he devoured the lamb stew from his small bowl. Having to hold himself back from turning into a dragon to eat the whole pot and stew whole, he decided to retain a bit of his dignity and just ate faster. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Small human sized bites make the stew last longer,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he attempted to convince himself as he filled up a third bowl. Glancing at Fubuki as he ate, he realized that Fubuki had furrowed his brows and accidentally made eye contact at that moment. “Is something wrong?” asked Aphrodi as he fished out more meat than stew into his bowl. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“What…..should I address you by?” queried Fubuki carefully.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“My name?” Aphrodi replied while distracted by an especially large chunk of bone that was escaping the ladle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“.....your name…I don’t know it.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Aphrodi dropped the bone that he had so carefully fished up in shock. “You don’t know my name?! The name of the dragon that blesses your village with water?! What has the world come to….”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“We just call you the water dragon.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“That’s disgusting. My name is Aphrodi.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“So I can just call you Aphrodi?” Fubuki felt like that was a very casual and impolite way to address a dragon worshipped as a god.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Yeah, you know, this explains why no one ever greets me by my name. I just thought they were being polite. I guess they just don’t know it. Maybe I should announce myself when I arrive but I don’t like talking to humans.” Aphrodi responded as he chewed on the retrieved bone. “Maybe when you leave you can also go around and tell everyone my name, like a missionary for me.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“I refuse to do that.” Fubuki replied steadily as he reached for more stew. The pot gave off a hollow sound as the ladle hit the empty bottom. He sighed and stared down into it, “this was supposed to last for a few days.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Well I have a dragon-sized stomach, and I want 3 meals a day.” Aphrodi hesitated then added on a small “please”.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>With no way to refuse while trapped in a dragon’s home, Fubuki nodded dejectedly and went to wash out the dishes. “Just leave them over there” Aphrodi called as he pointed at a nearby divot in the ground “I’ll just run water over them, because I’m a WATER dragon.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <em>
    <span>He’s still pissed about that, huh.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Fubuki thought as he piled the dirty pots and dishes where he had been instructed to leave them. He turned around just in time to see Aphrodi seal over the fire with some ice. “Wait, won’t the fire go out or melt the ice?” Fubuki asked worriedly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“It’ll be fine, I’ve spelled it, dragon magic” Aphrodi answered vaguely, then yawned, his wings flapping gently as he then stretched. “I’m going to nap, I haven’t eaten this much in ages. You should nap too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“No I think I’m alright.” Fubuki replied, nervous at the thought of being trapped under a heavy wing again. “I’ll go look at the other ingredients you might have around here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Suit yourself” Aphrodi replied as he climbed back into the nest to sleep off what he ate. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>In the following few months, Fubuki inadvertently began to learn about Aphrodi’s lazy lifestyle. It turned out that Aphrodi slept a lot only because he was bored, at least that was what he claimed but Fubuki was beginning to suspect that Aphrodi had been quite lonely before he had come along. He did sleep quite often and tried to coax Fubuki to join him in the nest claiming humans also needed an inordinate amount of sleep. Fubuki opted to spend his time trying to organize the chaos within the cavern. He at least wanted to be able to walk around without crushing something that was worth more than him by accident and physical activity kept him from thinking too much about his situation. Aphrodi found all of this quite curious as he had only brought the gifts back to avoid getting more bothersome gifts in the future in case villages thought he would shun them due to subpar gifts.</span>
  <em>
    <span> For someone who pretends to hate humans, he sure worries a lot about their feelings,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Fubuki thought to himself. Hence why they had all been unceremoniously dumped in a corner that had morphed into a miniature hill after many centuries. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Waking up yet again to scraping sounds of precious objects being moved around, Aphrodi cracked open an eye and watched Fubuki haul another batch of scrolls into a stack of large boxes he had called a “makeshift bookshelf”. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s not like I’ll ever read them,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Aphrodi thought, as he pulled himself out of the feather nest. He found himself mostly using his humanlike form around Fubuki, in hopes that Fubuki would feel more at ease. He still remembered Fubuki’s soft and curious eyes before the realization that he was the dragon had struck...if only he could see that gaze directed at him again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fubuki didn’t talk much unless talked to, and Aphrodi felt content to not pry too much. Human problems were complicated and he didn’t want to be a part of it, although he secretly worried about Fubuki’s withdrawn nature. Unlike dragons, humans were social creatures from his distant observations, so this probably wasn’t good. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Duty calls,” Aphrodi announced, stretching his arms and wings with a yawn. Fubuki didn’t reply but stopped and glanced over in acknowledgement. Aphrodi always said that when he had to go visit some village to check in on them for the coming year. He would sometimes leave for days on end, but unbeknownst to Fubuki he was worried about leaving him alone for too long so had been manipulating wind speeds in order to condense village visits. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>In one graceful movement, he jumped off the side of the nest and transformed into a dragon. Watching from the corner of his eyes, Fubuki could never resist feeling a silent sense of awe as the powerful creature seemed to ripple into existence as claws formed and scales sealed around the gigantic body. Soaring upwards, the cap of ice shrank in order to allow Aphrodi to leave before sealing up again behind him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sighing and lying down next to the piles he was sorting, Fubuki stared up at the clear ceiling. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Cursed by an accident in the winter snow, stuck with a winter dragon, what had his life come to?</span>
  </em>
  <span> He only had to hold out until spring came and Aphrodi would let him go. The dragon wasn’t as meddlesome or overbearing as he expected, yet the cold air and ice of the cavern constantly tried to bring back memories he had been avoiding since he had lost his family. Constant movement kept his mind off of them, and he had been using that excess energy to organize the cavern but at night only bone-deep exhaustion could drive off the nightmares. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>To his understanding, Aphrodi left at intermittent times to go take care of other villages, always coming back with the gifts and offerings from each one. His “busy season” was apparently wintertime, while the rest of the year he spent ensuring that his blessings were followed through. This particular visit was a short one with Aphrodi returning within the day, shortly after Fubuki had finished cooking. Luckily he had learned to always cook five times more than normal just in case a certain hungry dragon appeared. Aphrodi was laden with gifts in his claws as usual, and he had already frozen the livestock as evidenced by the frost covering his claws. Instead of tossing them haphazardly, he placed them carefully on the side in Fubuki’s designated “to sort” pile. Lately he seemed to have made a game out of picking out gifts he felt like Fubuki would particularly like from what he brought back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How about this one?” Aphrodi asked as he transformed back and picked up some pretty blue glass jars flecked with white, “it matches your eyes.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Not interested,” Fubuki replied, taking the jars then placing them on the side. The white flecks reminded him of snow, something he wanted to avoid - nearly impossible when living with an icy dragon. Aphrodi noticed the change in Fubuki’s manner and flashed his wings in irritation. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, then tell me about what you do like if you don’t want me guessing.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“I’d like you to leave me alone, do you want roasted lamb?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Still so rude in someone’s home,” Aphrodi replied playfully, “yes use the big bowl for me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“I told you that’s a pot not a bowl.” Fubuki replied, peeved.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Big bowl!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Fine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Aphrodi settled down comfortably in their new eating area. He secretly did like the coziness of all the tapestries and ornate furniture in this small corner of the cavern. Fubuki had given up and had used an expensive hand-woven tapestry as a tablecloth to prevent any more spills from Aphrodi. Aphrodi’s first instinct to clean off any spills was by summoning water and drenching the entire place to Fubuki’s detriment. Fubuki’s cooking was good, and with the large range of precious spices available he had started experimenting out of boredom, Aphrodi found himself starting to feel antsy around mealtimes if he wasn’t home. This made things difficult on long village trips. He didn’t like missing out on any possible new foods. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Did your family teach you how to cook all this?” Aphrodi asked absentmindedly as he stirred the lamb roast in with the roasted vegetables. He was two spoonfuls in when he realized that Fubuki hadn’t replied to him. Looking up in confusion he saw a stormy expression on Fubuki’s face, and he started to open his mouth to tease Fubuki when he remembered what had happened the first day they had met, what Fubuki had confessed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Oh...sorry….” Aphrodi said, his usually suave self suddenly flustered. “I didn’t mean to…..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Fubuki shook his head to clear his mind and sighed. “I learned to cook by myself, my parents and twin brother died when I was still young. I had to take care of myself somehow.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aphrodi hesitated, then tried to lighten the conversation, “Well I’m sure this is a great skill to have, when you go I can drop you off at a village and tell them you’re blessed by me and have them find you a good girl! Then you can woo her with your cooking.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Human males are not usually supposed to woo by cooking skills, and I’m also not interested in getting matchmaked at all.” Fubuki replied sourly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why not? Isn’t that what most humans want? To make a family?” Aphrodi’s grasp on humans was outdated at best, and also heavily skewed since all the past sacrifices were carefully chosen outcast girls who desperately wanted a warm home to return to. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t want to talk about it.” Fubuki said firmly. Deep down Fubuki did want a family, but not a new one. He wanted the family he had lost so long ago but he knew that was impossible. He had long decided to push away the possibility of falling in love, didn’t want to go through the pain of losing someone again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then what’s your plan when you leave here? Do you have somewhere you want to go?” Aphrodi pushed the topic, wings pulling closer as he leaned forward. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why are you being so nosy? Once this winter is over we’ll have nothing to do with each other. You don’t need to know.”His irritation was growing at this self-important dragon. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I need to know so I don’t send you in the wrong direction.” a miffed dragon replied, “it’s not like I want you to die y’know. I’d like for you to stop being so cold with me, it’s not going to make winter go by any faster.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fubuki ignored him and looked up through the ice at the still-storming sky above. This time he could see distant snowflakes drifting down and melting into the ice. “I wish it did,” he said quietly, then pointedly ate in silence for the rest of the meal while ignoring the face of a very disappointed Aphrodi. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. feather pillows to chase away nightmares only $999.99</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Not one to give up easily, Aphrodi spent the next few days in the cavern following Fubuki around while claiming boredom. Fubuki for his part decided that accommodating the needy dragon was easier than outright ignoring him. The latter would cause Aphrodi to start causing trouble by reorganizing the cavern with ice and rock slabs claiming that he was helping the organization process. Keeping Aphrodi engaged was the key to keeping him out of trouble, and Fubuki did so by giving him small tasks to take care of while sustaining light conversation. The ensuing days of sharing meals, cooking together, and cohabitating caused Fubuki to slowly lower his guard. Aphrodi noticed the change in Fubuki and delighted in seeing him grow comfortable with expressing his true feelings. Such as when he had thrown a sandal at Aphrodi for trying to sneak dinner early.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“How far away can you fly me?” Fubuki asked Aphrodi one evening as he stirred the rice potpourri. Aphrodi was carefully defeathering chickens by hand on the side. He had started helping prep the ingredients, and had delighted in doing “menial work” with magic to speed things up. The reality was he just made meal prep more complicated and was now forced to do things by hand before he was allowed to use magic.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Several mountains?” Aphrodi responded absentmindedly as he wiped feathers off of his hands, “although many places I visit are far apart and don’t know each other so you’d be fine anywhere.” </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Obviously since no one realizes you’re two timing them,” Fubuki replied with a smirk.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“I told you I treat them all equally!” Aphrodi huffed back as he attempted to throw some wet chicken feathers at Fubuki. The action backfired as they stuck tighter the more he shook his hand at Fubuki.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Whatever you say,” Fubuki responded but flashed Aphrodi a small smile again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aphrodi’s heart turned at this rare sight and he fluffed his wings, flustered. Being a worshipped dragon that normally lived alone, Aphrodi was quite curious about humans and their complicated relationships. Fubuki was his only source of knowledge and he had started opening up under the pretext of educating this pushy dragon. After dinner, the two of them lay near each other upon soft cushions Fubuki had laid out a few days ago. Aphrodi crept closer each night, pretending he couldn’t hear Fubuki’s quiet voice well. Stretching a careful wing around Fubuki, he pulled close as Fubuki stared up through the ice again. Aphrodi had discovered that if he approached slowly, Fubuki wouldn’t notice and push him away. “Fubuki,” Aphrodi called out his name, gazing steadily at him with a hand on his chin. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Hm?” Fubuki didn’t even turn to look at him with annoyance anymore. The distant look was back in his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Do you still want to go back to be with humans?”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Fubuki turned his head now to look straight into Aphrodi’s eyes that reflected the glow of the undulating fire in the cook pit. “Why do you ask?” </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Well,” Aphrodi snaked his tail around Fubuki’s side and hesitated before continuing, “they don’t seem to have ever been good to you. They threatened to kill you, shunned you, and trapped you to be a sacrifice for a horrible dragon.” He flashed a sneaky smile at the last few words. “I can always take you to a place where you can be alone forever, unbothered by humans. I’d make sure the creatures there protect and take care of you.” He was thinking of a certain valley filled with direwolves, it suited this lonely wolf pup. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Fubuki looked away from Aphrodi, first at the fire pit and then up again at the stars above. “That may be true,” he answered softly, “but some part of me can’t give humans up for good. Humans are complicated beings, yet my hope just won’t disappear.”  Aphrodi turned his head and looked up at the stars with Fubuki, truly looking at them for the first time in years. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s new ones,” he observed surprised as he turned his head trying to find a better angle to see. Distracted by trying to identify the new stars, he accidentally fell onto Fubuki’s side, pushing both of them down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aphrodi!” Fubuki cried out, surprised. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Sorry!!” Aphrodi scrambled to push himself up in a flurry of wind and scattered feathers but it only seemed to make the situation worse. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Get off of me with no magic like a normal person,” Fubuki’s muffled voice came from below his wing. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“I am a DRAGON,” Aphrodi responded while trying to locate his wings and not pull his hair out by accident. “And I will take my time.” In reality he was tempted to keep things this way, it had been so long since he had felt the warmth of another body pressed against his. His daydreaming thoughts were cut short when Fubuki rudely kicked him off and made a beeline for the pond to wash off. Sighing to himself, Aphrodi slunk to the nest to wait out Fubuki’s turn in the bath. Last time he had tried to peep Fubuki had nearly bricked him with an incense burner, he didn’t want a repeat of that again no matter how tempting it was. The fleeting moment had passed and he had to reflect on the conflicting feelings rioting inside him before Fubuki came back...</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Aphrodi laid awake that night in his nest as he stared at Fubuki’s sleeping figure, curled up exactly outside of his wingspan. The soft moonlight illuminated the cavern from above and he watched the boy, worried. Unfamiliar with the pains of family bonds as he himself had emerged alone centuries ago from a misplaced egg, he couldn’t rid himself of the nagging feeling that Fubuki was haunted by his past. Idly turning thoughts of which village was best to drop the boy at, he barely registered when Fubuki turned slightly in the nest revealing a furrowed brow and gritted teeth. His soft cry, however, caused Aphrodi to immediately sit up and carefully crawl over to his side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aphrodi had been trying to subtly comfort Fubuki during the day, knowing that Fubuki’s pride would not stand for such straightforward care from something he loathed. Yet he couldn’t stand by ignoring this anymore. Gently extending a wing over Fubuki, he carefully cradled him within his large warm feathers and rocked him back into gentler dreams. After some time, Fubuki’s brow softened and he seemed to relax. Watching this, Aphrodi smiled to himself and then closed his eyes. He’d wake up before Fubuki and move back to where he was in the morning. Humans needed lots of good sleep to heal anything, especially wounds deep in the heart. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>This cycle continued for a few days until Aphrodi, having drunk some ceremonial wine they had unearthed the day before, overslept. Fubuki woke up, feeling refreshed from not having nightmares for days and surprisingly not hungover. He turned onto his back and blinked blearily upwards expecting to see the usual grey clouds above but found an unexpected wall of feathers. Turning his head in an extreme feeling of deja vu, he found himself gazing at a sleeping Aphrodi yet again. Alarms went off in his head, but he had learned from his past mistakes and  quietly tunneled backwards to extract himself from the wing cocoon only to accidentally give Aphrodi’s misplaced tail a solid kick in his attempt to back up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Owwwwwwww,” Aphrodi complained as he flailed his wings in confusion from being so rudely awoken. Fubuki yelped as he was slammed into the bed by a heavy gust of wind that pinned him into place. “Oh SORRY,” Aphrodi cried out surprised when he opened his eyes to see a struggling Fubuki in the nest, “I thought you were an intruder, I’m so glad I didn’t kill you. Luckily it’s been so long I only remembered the first part of my defense spell.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why were you sleeping right next to me! You always sleep on the far side of the nest.” Fubuki asked angrily as he brushed stray feathers off of himself while sitting back up.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Avoiding answering the question directly seeing that Fubuki looked ready to strangle him, Aphrodi tried a different angle, “Have you noticed you haven’t had any nightmares recently?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The unexpected question caused Fubuki’s rage to recede for a moment during which he realized that Aphrodi was right, yet he wasn’t sure why. “What does that have to do with this?” He snarled and stood up to brush himself off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well…..” Aphrodi drawled out slowly while carefully pulling his wings back in, “I may have been keeping you company at night since you stopped crying out one night when I covered you with my wings. And before you suggest it, it was not due to suffocation.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How long have you been doing this?” Fubuki asked, stunned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uhhhhh time is fleeting for a being like me.” Aphrodi responded evasively. “But!” he cried out hurriedly as Fubuki’s eyes narrowed, “it’s helped you right? You stopped having nightmares! You were even humming the other day!” Aphrodi was now grasping at straws to avoid destroying the fragile bond that had developed between them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fubuki stared at Aphrodi for a moment in disbelief, then sank back down into the sea of feathers, burrowing down while covering his face with his hands. “I can’t believe it.” Fubuki’s muffled voice emanated from beneath the feathers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What???” Aphrodi asked, offended that his well-meaning intentions were being trampled before his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe I’ve grown comfortable with you, a big mean stupid dragon.” Fubuki had been trying to ignore the growing feelings in the back of his mind, but it was true. He had found himself looking forward to when Aphrodi would return from his trips. The loneliness that had always hung over him seemed dispelled by a brisk wind every time Aphrodi’s mischievous face appeared in his line of sight. His constant antics had caused him to smile and even laugh at times, but Fubuki’s guilt of being the only survivor from the avalanche always seemed to come creeping back. Yet this arrogant meddlesome dragon always came charging in to chase off the haze of complicated feelings. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He finally peeked through his fingers to find Aphrodi staring at him wide eyed and…blushing?! His normally flawlessly pale skin now had a sharp undertone of rose red blossoming from his neck up to his horns. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Picking nervously at his tail scales, Aphrodi bit his lip then mustered up the courage to give voice to the feelings that had slowly grown inside him in the past few weeks. “Do you…like me?” he asked carefully, ready to seal himself behind a wall of ice for a few months if Fubuki responded otherwise. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Time seemed to stretch forever between the two as they maintained eye contact, then Fubuki covered his face back up again and slowly nodded. No one else had ever made him feel this way, safe and comfortable to be himself. His thoughts were interrupted by a gentle embrace from the side, as Aphrodi hugged him tightly, too ecstatic to say anything at the moment. Aphrodi’s blush was contagious and Fubuki found himself growing red as well, the thrum of his blood pounding through his ears almost drowned out the whispered response from Aphrodi. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like you too.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. claws crossed behind my back</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Aphrodi’s good mood was pervasive and inadvertently affected all the surrounding lands. The weather turned accordingly, and gentler winds and rain were reported throughout. Rainbows in the winter were unheard of yet sprung up often now. Villages everywhere were confused at all the unseasonal occurrences, and some began preparing more lavish offerings for the water dragon out of worry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Within the heart of the mountain, Fubuki was now a very eager dragon’s lover and could feel it in his back and sore muscles. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” Aphrodi sheepishly apologized while helping Fubuki into the bath after a particularly long night. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“I told you to stop last night,” Fubuki grumbled to him as he submerged himself into the warm water. Aphrodi had started heating it for him when he discovered that humans generally stayed in the bath longer if it was a comfortable temperature. The upside to maintaining the heat meant that he could subtly ogle Fubuki’s figure longer if he was careful about it. Fubuki hadn’t caught on yet, and he was going to keep it that way. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“You were so cute, I couldn’t help it,” Aphrodi protested as he showered Fubuki with kisses on the cheek. Fubuki indulged Aphrodi, but his thoughts were elsewhere as he patted Aphrodi’s head. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“How long has it been since I got here?” he asked again as he glanced up at the usual grey clouds swirling above the mountain peaks. Aphrodi froze in surprise at this question, then realized the implication. Spring was coming soon. It had been nearly two full moons since he had picked up Fubuki in the dead of winter. In another moon cycle, spring would be right on his doorstep and he would have to let Fubuki go. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“I’m not sure,” he lied as he began frantically turning over ideas in his head, “Time passes differently for a dragon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fubuki snorted and splashed him with some water. “Enough with your dragon excuses, you fly out often enough to see the land. Take me with you next time, I’ve been wanting some fresh air, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“I can’t,” Aphrodi lied again, finding himself beginning to build a web of lies in a panic. “Last time I brought you in you were unconscious, it’s too cold out right now to take you through all those storm clouds. I don’t want to hurt you by accident.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fubuki’s periwinkle eyes gazed directly into Aphrodi’s crimson slitted eyes, then he looked away and sighed. “I see, well when the weather gets warmer take me outside anyways, I’m getting tired of not feeling the wind on my face.” Immediately realizing the error of saying this common phrase next to a wind dragon, he found himself buffeted by a cool wind as Aphrodi took it upon himself to solve this small complaint. Laughing, Fubuki swam deeper into the pool to dodge Aphrodi, who followed with a smile on his face although it wasn’t matched in his eyes anymore. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>The next day Aphrodi awoke and showered a sleepy Fubuki with kisses as per usual then stretched and transformed in one smooth movement, launching himself out through the top of the caldera. Perched on the rim as the ice sealed behind him, he gazed out at the lands that he governed, his sense of duty conflicting with the raw emotions in his heart. Lowering his head to concentrate, he did the unthinkable and began to summon icy cold winds and snow to begin running through the land. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Winter could last just a little longer this year, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought to himself as his claws dug deeper into the mountain to withstand the sudden stress increase, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I just want a little more time with him before he leaves my side forever….</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. icy hot caution label</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The winds howled outside as the two of them lay together in each other's arms in the nest. Fubuki glanced over at Aphrodi who seemed even paler than usual. His trips out had grown more frequent but he hadn’t returned as often with offerings. “Trouble with some new land,” was what Aphrodi told him when asked about his increasing trips. </p>
<p>In reality, Aphrodi was doing all he could to manipulate the weather to stall the arrival of spring. With every step he took outside of the norm, three more problems sprung up that he had to take care of. Loss of innocent human lives was the one thing he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself for and the toll of damage control was beginning to weigh on him. </p>
<p> Ever affectionate, Aphrodi took the chance to land a kiss on Fubuki’s nose. “Hey!” Fubuki swatted Aphrodi’s giggling face back then pinched the dragon’s nose in return. He hesitated, then decided to broach the topic that had been on his mind the past few days. “Is the weather good enough for you to take me outside yet?” </p>
<p>“Ah,” Aphrodi’s mood immediately darkened at this question but he tried to hide it. “No, not really.” A lie. The weather was all his doing, he could summon clear skies in an instant. Fubuki’s brows furrowed again, but before he could speak Aphrodi reached over and smoothed them over with his fingers. “Don’t worry my love,” he said softly, “you don’t need to worry about the outside world. Everything you need is here.”</p>
<p>“That’s not the problem here,” Fubuki protested but he became distracted by Aphrodi’s fingers running through his hair. </p>
<p>Leaning into Fubuki’s chest, Aphrodi closed his eyes and listened to the thrum of his human heartbeat. “Then there is no problem,” he murmured while falling asleep. </p>
<p>Fubuki sighed and curled up against Aphrodi, feeling his cold scales along his back rest against his hand. Drifting off to sleep, he wondered what was happening in the world outside, having lost track of how long he had been in the dragon’s den. With a yawn, Fubuki closed his eyes and soon the two of them were lost in a world of very different dreams that were both about to end. </p>
<p>    Aphrodi was shocked awake in the middle of the night by a roar that shook his entire home. His first instinct was to push a groggy and confused Fubuki down into the feather nest in order to protect him from any falling rocks or ice. A roar that could shake the entire caldera could only come from something else. </p>
<p>Another dragon. </p>
<p>    Dragons were spread far and few in between the whole continent. Most kept to themselves unless looking for a mate, and long-lived as they were, the desire for one was uncommon. This was also nothing like the formal courtship process, which prompted Aphrodi to ready himself for a fight. For another dragon to directly approach Aphrodi’s home was unheard of, and he hadn’t had to battle in ages. His territory had been established for so long, he could barely remember the other dragons he’d dealt with to conquer this land. </p>
<p>Readying himself by transforming before even taking off, he snarled at the audacity of a challenger approaching his fortress. He could feel heat emanating from outside of the caldera, rapidly approaching heat that landed with an accompanying crash on the ice cap. Fiery claws proceeded to melt through the thick ice. Aphrodi watched, but was so weakened by having manipulated so much weather in the past month that he was unable to regenerate the ice to counter the rate at which it was melting. Responding with a crystalline roar of defiance, he opted to launch himself into the air to meet the intruder and defend his home and lover. </p>
<p>Breaking through the top of the caldera with a large burst of wind, he attacked the unknown intruder with a sleet of icy rain to drive them back from the lip of the mountain. The air cleared and heavy wingbeats sounded through the air as the two dragons circled each other. Sleek onyx scales rimmed with crimson red tips flashed into sight as lightning lit up the surrounding area and the roar of thunder that came afterwards coincided with Aphrodi’s realization of who it was. </p>
<p>“Gouenji!” he bellowed in anger. </p>
<p>The other dragon’s lands lay to the south of Aphrodi’s where the weather was warmer and he, unlike Aphrodi, was a proper fire-breathing dragon. This was a threat, as he had no good way to fight a true fire dragon in such a weakened state.</p>
<p>He was confused as to why Gouenji would come so deep into his territory to seek him out directly instead of calling out to him with a wind message. They had never fought before in the past; a simple talk had cleared up any and all misunderstandings that arose when new villages sprung up along the nebulous borders and needed a guardian dragon. He hung suspended in the air, using wind gusts to support himself as he bristled his golden spikes at the dragon that seemed to melt into the night. Instead of attacking directly, Gouenji sent out a ring of fire that encircled the two of them. A sign that he wanted to talk. </p>
<p>“Speak.” Aphrodi flung out a ring of water in turn to show that he accepted this aerial space as a truce zone. </p>
<p>“What has gotten into you?” Gouenji’s deep voice boomed through the mountain, reflecting down into the caldera where Fubuki had crawled out from the nest and hastily grabbed his bags in confusion as to what was happening. If he needed to quickly escape he would at least be ready for it. He stopped in surprise at the sound of the other dragon’s voice, realizing now that it would be a battle between forces of nature if it came down to it. “Spring should be here and you have not been attending to your duties. Spreading cold winds and snow has caused your people to come crying to me for aid.” </p>
<p>Aphrodi froze at this accusation but was unable to refute it. “I have my reasons,” he hissed, knowing full well that Fubuki could hear all of this from below. “Things will be back to normal soon, but spring can wait longer this year.”</p>
<p>“It CANNOT. You know how the moon cycles go, you are older than me and should know better. You have never acted this way before, are you under the spell of an evil creature?” Gouenji’s form twisted in the dark as he shifted to better see Aphrodi. <em> No sign of evil, no sign of enchantment. What had happened to make Aphrodi act this way? </em>“The humans are crying, they are running out of food, the spring melt is not coming and they are lacking in water. Crops are dying that they planted in preparation for the harvest. Are you to be the one to bring death and destruction on them for your own whims?” Gouenji roared across at the pale white dragon that reflected the light from the full moon. Aphrodi needed to see, to understand the problems he had wrought with his selfishness.</p>
<p>Extinguishing his fire ring in one swift blink of an eye, Gouenji latched open his jaw and tilted his head back, launching a fireball straight at Aphrodi before he could even respond. The water dragon threw up a wall of water in an attempt to stop it, but missed and was slammed by the fireball into the side of the mountain. Gouenji took this chance to fly down into the caldera, suspecting that there must be an evil presence within that was causing Aphrodi to act as such. Spelled rings and ancient demons appeared from time to time, although Aphrodi was normally known to be smart enough to avoid them. Latching onto the side walls to prevent from touching anything potentially evil below, he summoned a ring of fire appeared on the rim of the caldera to both prevent Aphrodi from entering and to make it easier for himself to see inside the dark den. </p>
<p>Scanning his head from side to side, he noticed that the interior was remarkably neat and human-like compared to what it used to be like. Partitions had been set up here and there to denote separate spaces, but all human-sized. Narrowing his eyes and exhaling a smokey breath, he waited until he heard coughing from a group of boulders to the right. </p>
<p>Fubuki had been hiding from the chaos above, seeking refuge in a stack of boulders that had been moved to the side when they had constructed a more formal cooking area. His eyes were wide from the shock of what he had heard earlier. <em> Aphrodi? Forcing spring to come late with his powers? </em> Fubuki had grown numb to the shaking and roaring above as his mind spun in circles to come to terms with this knowledge. <em> How much of what he told me was a lie? Was loving me a lie? </em> He didn’t understand why Aphrodi would manipulate seasons to trap him in the den longer. <em> Didn’t he love me, didn’t he understand? </em>Caught up in his thoughts, he didn’t realize what was happening until he sucked in a breath of acrid smoke. Unable to breathe without coughing, he finally gave in and hacked out a few breaths only to have the boulder next to him be flung aside by a smoldering claw. </p>
<p>“YOU,” Gouenji called out angrily, his eyes on Fubuki who was frozen in place out of fear. “The source of all this trouble!” Gouenji’s claws snapped forward and encased Fubuki who was entirely certain he was going to die in that moment. </p>
<p>“Aphrodi!” Fubuki cried out in a last attempt to get help, as even if he couldn’t trust him anymore the only thing to counter a dragon would be another dragon. Wind rushed past the slits between the claws as he was brought up out of the den. Aphrodi was ready, however, and attacked Gouenji from the side with pure physical force as he dug his claws into Gouenji’s side. </p>
<p>“Let him go!” Aphrodi shouted over the roar of the wind. Desperation was showing in his eyes as he summoned the full force of his power to try to dislodge Gouenji’s grip on his beloved. Winds leagues out from the mountain all suddenly began streaming inwards, interrupting migration patterns and leveling swaths of wild forest. Battling an unrelenting torrent of wind and water, Gouenji twisted backwards in the air surprised by the ferocity of Aphrodi’s attacks. </p>
<p>“What is this human to you? Why are you acting like this?!” he demanded as he parried another barrage of water.</p>
<p>“He’s my LOVER,” Aphrodi screeched and landed onto Gouenji from above, forcing him down into the valley below. Tumbling through the air in a dance of claws and magic, Gouenji was now confused by the turn of events. </p>
<p>    “You cannot neglect your duties due to a human lover,” he panted as he burst forth a wall of flames between him and Aphrodi. “And that explains none of your behavior.” </p>
<p>Aphrodi bunched his muscles, ready to shoot through the fire and resume his attacks when a small voice cut through the air. </p>
<p>    “Wait!” Fubuki cried out from within Gouenji’s grasp. He had managed to collect a bit of himself during the battle and put together some facts spinning around his head. “Lord dragon, please, let me talk to Aphrodi.” </p>
<p>    Put off by being referred to as such, Gouenji stared down with one eye on Fubuki and one eye on a suddenly still Aphrodi. “Please,” Fubuki called out again, “I can resolve this.” </p>
<p>Snorting, Gouenji fixed both eyes on Aphrodi and cocked his head. “Are you willing to listen to your so-called lover under truce?”</p>
<p>    “Says the one who broke it last time,” Aphrodi spat angrily while lashing his tail. But he couldn’t refuse a request from Fubuki, not when he knew deep down that he was the one at fault. Lowering his head, he pulled up the ring of water again and let it orbit rapidly around the three of them. Gouenji answered with a ring of fire and then extended his arm with Fubuki still trapped within his claws.</p>
<p>    “Aphrodi.” Fubuki called sadly as he looked at the majestic white dragon before him. “Is it true? Did you chase away spring for me?”</p>
<p>    Aphrodi didn’t answer, he merely nodded, refusing to meet Fubuki’s eyes.</p>
<p>    “Why? I thought you loved me, I thought you understood me.” Fubuki pleaded. He didn’t want to feel this way, he wanted to trust Aphrodi but that trust had now been broken. He felt like a fool and should have known better than to trust anyone again, human or otherwise. </p>
<p>    “I love you,” Aphrodi’s voice came out slow and grated from the fatigue of the battle. “I loved you and didn’t want you to leave. If spring had come you would have left me forever, no one wants to be stuck with a dragon like me. You always wanted to go back to the humans that shunned you.” He finished bitterly. </p>
<p>    “Why would you think that without asking me!” Fubuki cried out angrily. He hadn’t noticed Aphrodi’s fear or insecurities, incorrectly assuming that such a proud dragon had none. Now he felt like kicking himself for thinking as such. “You can’t let your duties slip like that, I can’t be responsible for making you hurt so many innocent people.” </p>
<p>    Before either of them could continue, Gouenji lifted up Fubuki so he could peer directly at the human that caused it all. “I see,” Gouenji observed, “there’s only one way to take care of this other than killing him, you’re much too infatuated with this human.”</p>
<p>    “Wait!” Aphrodi cried out in shock as Gouenji’s leathery wings flapped and pushed himself off into the night air, carrying Fubuki with him.  “Fubuki I’m sorry! I won’t do this again, I swear! Please! Gouenji! Don’t kill him! If you do I’ll kill YOU!!!” </p>
<p>    “Take care of your duties!” Gouenji shouted back over his spiked shoulders as he headed back towards his territory, “If you don’t, I WILL kill him. Hold to your promise and I’ll hold to mine.” </p>
<p>    The last thing Fubuki heard as he was rushed into the sky again by the smoldering dragon was Aphrodi’s anguished cries coming from below. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A sketch I drew to show what they look like as dragons:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>  <span></span><br/></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Finally my obsession with dragons is useful.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>  </p>
<p> </p>
<p>A fanart of dragon Aphrodi by <a href="https://twitter.com/SpiciiiJ">SpiciiiJ</a> !!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. oh no baby what is you doing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Fubuki woke up to the sounds of shouting near him, but the voices were close and sounded human. Head pounding and muscles aching from the events that had happened that night, he tried to get up but didn’t have the strength. Groaning, he laid back down and decided to spend some more time pressed against the cold hard earth when he felt something hit him from the side. He turned over slowly to look at whatever it was that had hit him, and instead found himself facing a wall of fire. Fear struck Fubuki’s heart and he froze in place, trying to assess his situation when he noticed shadows on the other side of the fire. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Are you alive?” a concerned voice called from the other side. “Wave your hand if you are!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Fubuki hesitated, then did as he was told, wincing at the pain. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“The fire is spelled, notice how it’s not moving or burning from anything? I think I can unspell it.” a different gentler voice was making this observation, comments directed at the first speaker. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Hey person inside! Wave your hand if you can unspell it!” the first voice called again. Exhausted, Fubuki didn’t wave and instead slumped back onto the ground. He had no idea how he had gotten into this mess.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Don’t worry I think it’s a simple spell,” the gentle yet firm voice came through again, “step back I’m going to try extinguishing it.” With nowhere to go, Fubuki laid face down again figuring it was his best bet and hoped that whatever spell it was worked. He had no way out otherwise. A strong wind blew around him and ashes billowed down in a soft cloud, settling all over his hair and clothes. Sitting back up slowly, Fubuki realized that he still had his pack with him, along with a bowl on the side filled with water and a pile of fruit. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Was Gouenji going to keep me here like an animal for who knows how long? </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought, startled. Two figures emerged from the haze, and came forward to brush him off. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Are you alright?” The first one spoke again, he was shorter than the other and wore an orange headband over his brown hair with a tuft hanging over the top. “I’m Endou, this is Rococo, we’re wandering travelers and saw the fire from a distance and came to investigate.” Fubuki looked over at the other man, Rococo, who seemed to be sizing up the situation with seasoned eyes, the blue spikes of his hair wafted gently in the wind, contrasting against his dark skin. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“What happened to you?” he asked as he took in the ragged looking Fubuki and the strange pile of fruit and water on the side. Fubuki didn’t answer, and Endou cried out in surprise before Rococo could do anything else. He had passed out again collapsing to the side, and this time running a high fever. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“What do you think happened?” voices drifted near Fubuki again as he tossed and turned in his sleep. “Do you think whatever did that to him is going to come after us if we harbor him?” That gentle voice again, who did it belong to? Rococo, was that his name?</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Even if it did, he doesn’t look evil and we can’t leave him to die like that,” a different voice, Endou’s, responded in turn. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Tch, anything can get possessed out here. Should we drop him off at the nearest town? We’re leagues out from anywhere.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“I think we can take care of him for now, you can test that possession spell on him if you want to be sure, alright? Once he recovers we can ask what he wants to do but we can’t leave him alone here. There’s too many monsters and other unsavory creatures moving around.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“You and your soft-heartedness is going to be the end of us someday. Remember when you tried to heal that bear and keep it as a pet?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“He was cute and useful! But that’s why you love me and still stay with me, isn’t it.” A soft tinkling laugh crept into Fubuki’s dreams. Losing consciousness again, he drifted back off into a dreamless sleep. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Fubuki ended up taking three days to recover, during which Endou and Rococo took turns caring for him. He remained quiet on the topic of how he had gotten to this point, and the two decided to give Fubuki a break seeing that he was still in shock and under heavy strain. When he was well enough to reliably move around, Rococo caught Fubuki’s attention as he was helping tend the fire. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Would you like to accompany us until it’s safe for you to go off on your own? Once we reach some village clusters you can detach from us, but I recommend that you stick with us for now. Pardon me for saying so, but you don’t seem to be a seasoned traveler, and even a lone experienced traveler would meet trouble in these parts.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Which way are you heading?” Fubuki asked, curious as to their destination. The two were apparently hunting monsters for rare materials which was why they had come so far into a dangerous area. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Roughly north,” Rococo replied as he adjusted his cloak against the biting winds. “But wherever good prey appears we’ll have to make detours to adjust.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“North, huh,” Fubuki replied softly. No matter how he looked at it though, Rococo was right. He didn’t stand a chance alone out here and they had gotten rid of his one source of protection- the wall of fire. He’d have to stick with them until they made it to safer lands. Bowing his head in acknowledgement, he nodded, defeated. “I’d be much obliged if you took me with you. I’ll do my best to help and not get in your way.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Don’t worry about that last part, Endou does plenty of that on his own,” Rococo said with a smile as he patted Fubuki on his shoulder. We’ll head out tomorrow at light, get a good night’s rest, you still need plenty of it.” The familiar suggestion caused Fubuki’s heart to squeeze and he pushed away the memories that resurfaced with it. He didn’t care anymore after being betrayed like that, he’d forget about Aphrodi forever and find a new life for himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Gouenji landed in the same spot a few days later, intending to pick up Fubuki from where he had had to quickly leave him to resolve the various disasters that had occured from his clash with Aphrodi. Instead he found the charred remains of the fire circle he had left along with an empty upturned bowl. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck,” he succinctly summarized his feelings as he paced around the empty glade. He hadn’t had time to put a trace spell on Fubuki, hadn’t thought this would happen, and whoever had nabbed the human had been smart and left no tracks. Aphrodi was operating right now under the condition that Fubuki would be returned to him after he righted himself, but if Fubuki was gone…. “A berserk dragon is no good.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Giving one last glance at the abandoned glade, Gouenji lifted off into the air, hoping Fubuki was still alive in these dangerous lands and would easily be found. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. lost fubuki, responds to candy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Endou and Rococo were far too good at their job. Correctly guessing that something dangerous was tailing Fubuki, they spent large amounts of effort carefully covering their trail and hiding under any available cover. This caused Gouenji to be unable to find Fubuki, frustrating him into giving up for the time being as he had his own duties to attend to. Meanwhile, traveling with the two of them caused Fubuki to be put through spontaneous beast and magical creature education whenever they had a chance to stop and talk. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“You’ll have to know these things if you decide to go off on your own, unless you’re trying to return to a village and live inside it forever,” Rococo advised Fubuki as they set up camp for the night. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fubuki thought for a moment as he undid the ties on the bedrolls, then asked a question that had been on his mind. “What’s the most dangerous creature in these lands?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Well that depends!” Endou butted into the conversation eagerly, a beast maniac through and through. “But if you’re asking which beast outclasses all the rest, it has got to be a dragon!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fubuki’s eyes widened at this information. He had been raised in a small village, so he had assumed his knowledge was limited in regards to these matters. To learn that dragons were at the top of the food chain just as he had been taught gave him no peace of mind at all. Not when one was trying to kill him, and another would kill </span>
  <em>
    <span>for </span>
  </em>
  <span>him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“That’s true,” Rococo agreed, oblivious to Fubuki’s turmoil, “but they don’t normally meddle with humans and they  keep their distance. Humans alone can’t kill a dragon, and it’s not wise to do so anyway. It’s only because of those dragons that the lands are able to support us humans, so we do owe them a lot.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“How many dragons are there?” Information was always useful; Fubuki decided that he could at least try to assuage his fears and confusion by arming himself with additional knowledge. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“No one knows,” came a not very assuring answer, “but we do know there’s only one moon dragon - named Shuu - and one sun dragon - Hakuryuu. Those two have never come down to the lands, and they’re rarely seen, too. It’s never a good thing to see one of those two. The lands are managed by a variety of dragons; there’s the fire dragon to the South - known as Gouenji -  and a wind dragon that isn’t tied to a land - Kazemaru. There’s also a water dragon to the North, but I don’t recall its name…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <em>
    <span>That’s Aphrodi, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Fubuki thought, startled. He almost offered up the name but stopped himself, bitterly remembering the memory he had shared with the selfish dragon over lamb stew. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“You’re not usually too curious about these things,” Rococo casually observed as he stoked the fires. “You don’t need to explain it to us, but if you’ve run into trouble with dragons, I’ve heard it’s best to talk it out with them. They don’t kill unless they absolutely have to, are what the legends say.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Fubuki nodded mutely, memories churning inside his head again. He wasn’t sure if he ever wanted to see Aphrodi again, yet here he was heading straight back into his territory. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What’s even the point of talking to him again?</span>
  </em>
  <span> He thought sadly. So many misunderstandings had arisen between them, culminating in almost irreversible damage across the land. It was best if he kept his distance. Maybe start adventuring like Endou and Rococo to make a living and eventually move away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>-----</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aphrodi was a combination of exhausted and devastated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He went about fixing all the problems that had sprung up due to his careless bid to extend winter, working day and night to push and pull water and winds to the correct places. He had only narrowly managed to avoid total disaster. This overextension of his powers caused him to desperately need rest, so when summer came, he flew one last pass over his lands then returned to the caldera, blinking blearily as he crawled inside. Carefully avoiding the furniture that hadn’t moved since that chaotic night, he glanced at the still burning fire pit and sighed to himself.</span>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Once I’m done fixing all of this I can face Fubuki again,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought as he curled up in his nest. It would take a couple years before he felt like he had really undone all the damage he had caused, but he still felt impatient to make sure Fubuki was alive and loved. That was ultimately what he cared about. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Gouenji will take care of him until then</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought to himself as he closed his eyes in preparation for a long rest. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He’ll be safe. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-----</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fubuki was, in fact, very not safe. At times, he was fighting for his life as they were ambushed by packs of roving beasts. Other times, he was running from human bandits. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On the other side of the lands, Gouenji was close to ripping his scales out, unable to find Fubuki and having just too much shame to face Aphrodi with that fact. Resolving to avoid Aphrodi until he could reach closure with what happened to Fubuki, Gouenji surreptitiously adjusted how he took care of his lands to perfectly avoid the water-dragon’s routes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-----</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Time passed, and winter was now fast approaching as leaves fell from all but evergreen trees as Fubuki ate his last meal with Endou and Rococo. They had finally reached a swath of safer land where villages were located, and he would be parting ways with them that day. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s been good having you along,” Endou told him with a smile as they broke out some candy after the meal. A special treat for a special day, as sugar was hard to come by. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you,” he said softly as he took a piece. “If it wasn’t for you two, I’m sure I would have died back there. I really can’t thank you enough.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ve saved our skin enough times already by now,” Rococo reassured “Let’s consider us all equally in debt now to each other. Or maybe just consider us as friends.” He teased. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fubuki’s sad smile in return was familiar by now, but knowing today was the last night caused Rococo to push forward this time. “I know we said you don’t need to talk about it, but why don’t I give you some advice.” he said carefully as he leaned forward across the campfire. “If whatever happened to you is going to haunt you for so long, wouldn’t it be best if you faced it head on and came to terms with it? Whatever happened seems to be unresolved, it’s best if you find closure instead of having it weigh on you for the rest of your life.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Endou looked over at Rococo in surprise, then nodded in agreement. They had had many hushed conversations while Fubuki slept over what to do about this problem, but it was just like Rococo to directly speak the truth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fubuki’s eyes reflected the winding flames of the campfire as sadness welled within them again. “I’ll take your advice to heart,” Fubuki said gently, “Thank you.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fubuki could feel the two of them watching as he stared into the flames again, mind elsewhere, recalling memories from the past winter. Memories of laughter and love that, no matter how he looked at them, didn’t seem to be a trick or a lie. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Was what I felt real back then? </span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was quickly jolted out of his thoughts by Endou waving his hand in front of his face. With a smile, the other man pulled his hand back and offered the tin of candy up again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s not end things on such a dour note,” he cajoled. “Before Fubuki leaves, let’s decide on what tales he gets to talk about as he makes his way as an adventurer. I vote for any tale that makes me look good!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s not many of those,” Rococo said wryly as Fubuki burst into a laugh. The night wound down as they spent their time reliving memories together of the past few months. Fubuki’s worries were chased away for a brief moment, letting him enjoy his last night with the friendly couple that had saved his life. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. I’m not dead!....unless?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Cracking open a bleary eye, Aphrodi blinked slowly and uncurled from where he had laid since summer had begun. Stretching carefully as to not destroy anything around him, he shook himself, knocking loose a few old scales, then looked up through the ice cap at the distant sun. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Winter time again, huh” he murmured as he thought about the memories that last winter had brought. Bittersweet memories, mixed with a fleeting taste of love. He sighed, exhaling a breath that frosted over the feathers wafting through the air from his movements. Opening his wings, he bunched his muscles and propelled himself upwards towards the receding ice cap to re-enter the world once again. Bursting up into the air above, he breathed in the crisp air then sent out a blast of cold wind. A sign that winter had come. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>-----</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fubuki forged his way through the valley as he carefully trekked through the sudden blizzard that had sprung up around him. Unable to see more than a few feet in front of him, he was forced to blindly feel each spot in front of him before putting his entire weight on it. “I have to find shelter somewhere,” he spoke out loud, trying to encourage himself to keep moving. If he stopped he would die, frozen to death under snow, a death that he refused to succumb to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As luck would have it, he managed to stumble into an abandoned den. Huddling within it, he attempted to start a small fire to keep himself warm.</span>
  <em>
    <span> I hope whatever lived here won’t come back tonight,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he prayed as he peeled off his wet furs to dry next to the weakly crackling fire. Crawling carefully into the back of the den, he curled up and immediately fell asleep from exhaustion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That night he dreamt of things long past. Aphrodi’s smile shone in his mind, as they laughed and embraced each other. Teasing him. Aphrodi would always try to get him to react to his childish actions, and Fubuki would brush him off but eventually give into his willfulness. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I love you</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Aphrodi would always tell him after coming back from a long trip. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The love he felt then had been genuine, yet the insecurities that had caused these problems were real, too. In his dream, Aphrodi stiffened, then turned around to head towards a writhing mass in the distance. Fubuki called out to him, but Aphrodi didn’t turn around to look at him again. The dragon was facing hordes of people, the residents of the villages he guarded, begging for his attention. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m just one human,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Fubuki lamented as he watched Aphrodi transform into a magnificent dragon, flying away towards the sea of people. “Just one human compared to a god.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-----</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Morning came and a furry object brushing against his neck caused Fubuki to wake up with a start. Looking down, he realized that some bunnies had also opted to shelter with him overnight. The bunnies scattered as Fubuki began to move, gathering up his belongings then pushing aside the snowdrift that had accumulated to check what had happened overnight. White sheets of snow blanketed his surroundings, with gentle powder still cascading from the sky above. Ignoring the sharp pricks from the snow as it hit his face, he scooped some up from the ground and let it fall again to check the freshness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where am I?” He looked around warily, taking in his surroundings. He had definitely gone off track last night trying to outrun the blizzard, and now he was in an unknown location again. Sighing, he decided that he’d scout out the area a bit and return back to the den to possibly wait out winter. Hoisting his pack onto his back, he began to move in a winding circle to explore the area while still keeping track of where the den was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By nighttime, snow had already blanketed Fubuki so heavily that his hair reflected the moonlight above. He had cut through the forest and was heading back towards the den when he heard sounds nearby. Sounds, he was quick to realize, coming from humans. Intrigued, he moved to observe what was happening for humans to be out so late at night in this weather. </span>
</p><p><span>Torchlight glowed in the distance as he crept through the frozen woods, inching closer to the commotion. When he got close enough to see, to make out the shapes thanks to one of the torches throwing light over what was happening below, Fubuki stifled a gasp. </span><em><span>It’s my old village! </span></em><span>he thought with shock. A cruel twist of fate had brought him right back to where all this had started a year ago. He recognized some people, then noticed the sacred ribbons woven into their hairdos.</span> <span>They were setting up the offerings for Aphrodi! </span></p><p>
  <span>His heart seemed to jump into his throat as he analyzed what was happening below. He counted the livestock being herded along and then saw, at the end of the procession, a crying human girl. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No! </span>
  </em>
  <span>His eyes widened as he leaned forward to take a better look. In that split second of incaution, he realized that he had gone too far forward and could only cry out as the snowbank gave away around him, taking him down in a tumble of snow to the procession below. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The villagers heard the rumbling from above before they saw the snow come crashing down in a small avalanche next to them. Chaos ensued as the men assumed that bandits had come to rob the offerings, something that happened once every few years. Rushing forward to surround whatever had appeared, they formed a protective circle around the offerings. Fubuki rose out of the avalanche of snow in a daze, panting from the shock of what had just happened. Unpleasant memories were resurfacing to his mind of the day that he had lost his family. Caught up in fighting his emotions, he was roughly pulled back into the moment by a woman’s scream. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s him!” the village elder’s wife cried out in shock as the torchlights reflected off of Fubuki’s face. “It’s Fubuki Shirou’s ghost, come back to haunt us!”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ghost?! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Fubuki suddenly realized how he must look to the rest of the humans. Covered from head to toe in white powder snow and dressed in wild beast furs, he looked nothing like how he had been left at the sacrificial altar. Ideas churning in his mind as he tried to think of a way to survive this encounter, his eyes landed on the petrified eyes of the girl that was to be the next sacrifice and he recalled his conversations with Aphrodi. Taking a deep breath, he decided to gamble what little luck he had left in this final gambit as he began to speak. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. being in the snow with my lover immerses me in a special feeling...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Aphrodi rode upon the winds with barely a thought as he rapidly approached the small village nestled in the mountain valley. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t want to deal with a human sacrifice again,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought morosely as he pulled his wings tight to rapidly begin his descent. If they left him one this time he was going to directly speak with the humans. Dragon pride be damned, he couldn’t handle it anymore. Hopefully they would listen and not give him an attitude like Fubuki……</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oh, Fubuki. How he missed Fubuki. Coming back to this village was painful for him, but knowing he would disappoint the boy if he didn’t kept him from abandoning it altogether. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Spreading open his feathered wings to halt his descent, he spiraled down from above and landed before the altar. Fresh snow crunched below his talons as he blinked open his eyes to survey the offerings this year. </span>
  <em>
    <span>More fruit,  </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought excitedly as he looked at the numerous baskets. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Some more lambs than usual. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He thought back to Fubuki’s cooking with a pang in his heart before he realized something was still on the altar. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A human. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Groaning inwardly, Aphrodi stalked down towards the altar, readying some choice words before the wind shifted and a familiar scent was carried towards him. Stopping in shock, he made the split-second decision to transform into his humanoid form, landing a few paces away from the sacrifice that had the ceremonial cloth draped over their face. Hesitating, he stepped forward cautiously, stopping every few paces before steeling himself and lifting the lip of the cloth to reveal the face underneath. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Hello Aphrodi,” Fubuki said softly, smiling at Aphrodi’s stunned face. “I let them know about the fruit and no more human sacrifices.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>He was too shocked to react, stock still as Fubuki reached forward and brushed some snow away from his cheek. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Have you reflected on what you’ve done?” the boy asked. “You’ve got dark circles under your eyes now.” Fubuki’s brows furrowed again in that familiar fashion Aphrodi had watched countless times. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“I have - is this really - Fubuki? I thought you were with Gouenji,” he started with a stammer, then the words he had always wanted to say came gushing out. “I’m sorry, I really am, for what I did. If I could do it all over again I’d never repeat what I did. It was a mistake and I’m truly sorry for it. I’ve wanted to tell you that every single day since you were taken away from me.” He realized as he finished that he was crying now, finally able to tell Fubuki what had been eating away at him for many moons. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Don’t cry,” Fubuki said gently as he wiped away Aphrodi’s tears. “I also didn’t notice your insecurities. I should have talked to you about them before things got out of hand, but I was too preoccupied with myself..” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aphrodi gazed up at Fubuki on the altar. He looked beautiful, framed by the sunrise coming from behind him. “If you came to find me here, I’ll take you to whatever village you want,” he murmured quietly while looking away. “You can settle down there and I’ll give you all the priceless treasures you need to make your life comfortable.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>It was Fubuki’s turn to be surprised. He cupped Aphrodi’s face in his hands and looked directly into the dragon’s crimson eyes. “Did you really think I came back to the village I hate so much to pretend to be the sacrifice again so I could ask you for a free ride for life?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Aphrodi’s perplexed expression answered the question readily enough, and Fubuki sighed and leaned down and gave him a direct kiss on the lips. The nearby woods rattled from a sudden gust of wind as Aphrodi’s control slipped from this surprise. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I came back for you, you stupid dragon.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Really?!” Aphrodi gasped in surprise. “But I still haven’t fixed everything yet.. .and I’m a… a stupid dragon… Didn’t you want to go back to humans? I don’t want to get in your way and hurt you again.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At that, Fubuki drew Aphrodi into a warm embrace and squeezed him tightly. “I worry too,” he said quietly. “You have to take care of so many villages, so many people. I’ll only be a hiccup in your long life. Is this really the choice you want to make?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Of course!” came a protestant response. “The winter I spent with you made me feel more alive than all my other centuries combined. I was so happy every day, all I wanted was for you to be by my side...I love you Fubuki, I really do.” Aphrodi hung his head at the last statement, pale ears now burning red out of embarrassment at his bold declaration. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Fubuki smiled. “Then why don’t you transform and take me back home, and make sure I have a free ride for life as a dragon’s lover.” He pulled back from the hug and then leaned back in and gave Aphrodi a kiss again. Flustered, Aphrodi panicked and fell backwards into the snow as Fubuki laughed, beautifully framed by the morning sun in billowing white robes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-------</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“What happened, back at the village?” Aphrodi asked Fubuki curiously as he gently washed off his lover in the warm bath at the bottom of the familiar caldera. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Ah.” Fubuki had almost forgotten about what he had done. “I got too curious about the procession and fell down in an avalanche next to them. They thought I was a ghost so I played along and started waving my hands and telling them that you were extremely displeased with them for sending so many human sacrifices and not listening to you. And that I was very much dead and you were very much angry. Then I told them that you wanted more fruit and lambs and a lot less humans. Otherwise you wouldn’t bless their village anymore.” He shrugged.“I may have thrown some snow at them at the end and climbed back up the slope to get away. Then I crawled back to the altar to have a talk with you. I wanted to give you a surprise so I dressed up in the discarded clothes of the sacrifice.” He said the last part with a laugh; it had been quite cold but worth Aphrodi’s priceless expression of shock.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“I would never just abandon them!” Aphrodi pouted. “But I do appreciate the fruit. And less humans. And you being with me now. ” He gave Fubuki a kiss on his wet hair, having missed doing this so much. “Tell me everything that happened while you were gone. How did you end up back here? I thought you were in Gouenji’s nest…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“It’s a long story,” Fubuki replied as he thought back to all that had happened in the past year. “But-- oh! People really don’t know your name, y’know?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“You told them, right?” Aphrodi asked hopefully, tail perking up in anticipation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Of course,” Fubuki answered as a sly smile spread across his face. “I told them you were Fubuki’s dragon.” He laughed as an indignant Aphrodi launched himself at Fubuki, pushing him down against the side of the pool. Laughter bounced off the sides of the cavern walls as snow swirled down through the lands with just a hint of rainbows in the distance. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next spring, Endou and Rococo woke up from sleeping in the trees one night to find a mysterious sack deposited at the base of the trunk. Climbing down, Endou cautiously approached it then sliced the side of the sack open with a carefully thrown knife from a safe distance. The sack split open a hole large enough for some pale white dragon scales rimmed with gold to fall out. Rococo gasped in surprise, then noticed an oilcloth-wrapped letter on the side. Carefully picking it up with gloves, he opened it to find it addressed to the two of them. Reading it quickly, he recognized the name that signed it off. </p><p>“It’s from Fubuki!” he called out excitedly to Endou who had come forward to join him and was taking a closer look at the scales. “And…” Rococo squinted at the crossed out line of text and a loopy name that had been added on at the end. “Aphrodi. The crossed out part says Fubuki’s dragon.” Rococo finished reading out loud with a smile. <em> So that’s what had happened, </em>he thought to himself. He was glad that the two of them were together again. Fubuki had seemed miserable when left alone for any stretch of time. </p><p>“These are worth a fortune!” Endou exclaimed, not as focused on the letter as he held up a scale to the morning light. </p><p>Rococo stepped in to examine the scale as it flashed in the sunlight. “Fubuki said that they’re to thank us for how we helped him, and to sell them so we can pursue our dream of hunting even bigger monsters in other lands. He wrote that the winds will always watch over us and we’ll never go thirsty if we stay within the water dragon’s bounds.” </p><p>“Who would’ve thought that’s what was weighing on his mind the whole time? A dragon! With the money we can gain from selling this, we can finally go out across the sea.” Endou had pulled open the bag to look at the glittering pile stacked within. (Fubuki had made Aphrodi clean out the nest and package up all the old shedded scales he had. This was only one bag of many, but at least the nest was a hundred times softer now.) Endou and Rococo smiled at each other, then began packing up to head to the nearest trade port, excited to begin another chapter of their lives.</p><p>---</p><p>Gouenji, elsewhere, was extremely stressed and wondering where Fubuki had gone. If he was still alive, which was a slim hope at this point, he had no idea how to find him. Aphrodi would most definitely kill him either way. Morosely eating street kebabs while under disguise to hide his draconic background, he almost bumped into two adventurers that had been walking down the street. A snippet of their conversation caused him to whirl around and eavesdrop. </p><p>“---you think Fubuki got caught in a fight between dragons? Like an epic dragon battle?” The brown-haired one was trying to fish out the largest fried fish from the meal he was holding.</p><p>“He did seem beat up when we found him.” Gouenji strained to hear what the blue-haired one replied over the chatter of the marketplace. Cursed humans, his hearing was more powerful than any beasts but it only served to cause interference in crowded areas. “I hope they’re happy together now. Even his letter seemed more upbeat--”</p><p><em> Together! </em>Gouenji thought with surprise. He stared at his kebab a bit longer then shrugged and continued eating it, his appetite having finally come back. He could live without the threat of Aphrodi coming to kill him at any moment, and he decided not to meddle in love affairs anymore after this stressful experience. </p><p>---</p><p>(Authors note: Drawings attached below are just for ease of reference, small illustrations I did for the fic.)</p><p> </p><p>Dragon Aphrodi &amp; Fubuki (after being picked up by Endou and Rococo). The mink scarf was a souvenir he picked up during a particularly gnarly fight. Aphrodi dresses in a lot of white and gold, he thinks it's normal human clothes but his only references have been from ceremonies he's overseen. He doesn't realize that he's wearing ceremonial human clothes.</p><p>
  
</p><p>Spending time together~</p><p>
  
</p><p>A soft kiss on the horns.</p><p>
  
</p><p>A happy day spent in a field of flowers.</p><p>A fanart by <a href="https://twitter.com/SpiciiiJ">SpiciiiJ</a> !!!</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading this fic! It was a ride to write from start to finish. I felt like I was in a fever dream and just needed to get this AU out. If this converts one person into shipping afufubu my goal has been accomplished. Come talk to me on my <a href="https://twitter.com/kuroekoo">twitter</a> if you are...it's a lonely rarepair life out here.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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